Paul Jaboulet Aîné - Hermitage 'La Maison Bleue' 2021

Forty years ago, Paul Jaboulet Aîné was the great house of the Rhône Valley.  As John Livingstone-Learmonth has written, Jaboulet was, “the yardstick … the trailblazer around the world … bringing the very hearth of the Rhône into people’s lives.”

And they did so not only from their home base of Hermitage, but from all of the great appellations throughout the Rhône. Jaboulet’s most famous wine, then and now, is the legendary Hermitage La Chapelle, made from fruit from their own vines.

Yet, from the 1950s through the 1980s—and from Côte Rôtie in the north to Châteauneuf du Pape in the south—Jaboulet also made cuvées from purchased fruit that were among the greatest wines from their respective villages.

That Jaboulet, as a negociant, could achieve such quality is explained partially by the house’s great skill in the cellar. But even more important was their access at that time to fruit from what are some of today’s most famous domaines.

The organic grapes are hand-harvested with an initial hand sorting in the vineyard. The grapes are completely destemmed. The wine undergoes three weeks of maceration with daily pump overs. It is aged for 12 months in French oak barrels – 15% of which are new. Potential to age up to 20 years.

“An elegant, beautifully perfumed style, with the high-toned, leaner character of the vintage. Snappy red licorice, cherry and apple wood smoke are dusted in white pepper. Tannins are well-polished, showing modest grip through the lengthy finish. It will be interesting to see this evolve with time in bottle.” - 93 Points, Wine Spectator

Producer: Paul Jaboulet Aîné

Country: France

Region: Rhône

Varietal: Syrah

Appellation: Hermitage

Vintage: 2021

Size: 750ml